Group A Streptococcal Virulence: New Lessons

摘要

Group A streptococci (GAS) ( ) are implicated in a wide spectrum of illnesses, perhaps the widest among human infectious agents. These illnesses include generally mild infections (eg, streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo), severe invasive infections (eg, necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome [STSS]), immune-mediated nonpyogenic illnesses (eg, acute rheumatic fever, poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis, and poststreptococcal reactive arthritis), and perhaps the hypothesized pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders (possibly) associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS). It has been estimated that annually, GAS causes 600 million infections globally and approximately 500000 deaths [ ], including 10000 to 13000 severe invasive infections in the United States [ ].